Building the Capacity for Effective Family-School

Partnerships

Karen L. Mapp, Ed.D.Harvard Graduate School of Education

Copyright © 2014 Karen L. Mapp

Warm-Up Exercise• What areas can you “glow” about when

it comes to partnerships with families?• What areas would you like to “grow”

when it comes to partnerships with families?

• What are the one or two ideas or “take-aways” that you’d like from this session?

2

What is the definition of Family Engagement?

Family Engagement is any way that a child’s adult caretaker (biological parents,

foster parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.) effectively supports learning and healthy

development.

3

Family Involvement versus Family Engagement

• The latin root of the word "involvement" is “involvere” which means to wrap around, cover or envelop; roll, cause to roll.

• The latin root of the word "engagement" is “engare” which means to make a formal agreement, to contract with; to pledge; an obligation to do something.

4

When families are effectively engaged in their children’s

education and in the improvement of schools, what are the various

roles they can play?

5

Families are engaged as:• Supporters of their children’s learning• Encouragers of an achievement identity, a positive self

image, and a “can do” spirit• Monitors of their children’s time, behavior, boundaries

and resources • Models of lifelong learning and enthusiasm for education • Advocates for improved learning opportunities for their

children and at their schools• Decision-makers/choosers of educational options for their

child, the school, and community • Collaborators/co-creators with school staff and members

of the community 6

Impact of Family EngagementStudents with Engaged Families:

• Exhibit faster rates of literacy acquisition• Earn higher grades and test scores

• Enroll in higher level programs

• Are promoted more and earn more credits

• Adapt better to school and attend more regularly

• Have better social skills and behavior

• Graduate and go on to higher education7

Organizing Schools for Improvement (2010)

8

9

What do we know about why families engage in their children’s

education?

10

O’Hearn School 1999 study• Asked “Why are families engaged in the children’s

education? What are the factors that influence their engagement?

• Conducted at the Patrick O’Hearn Elementary School (now the William Henderson School), a full inclusion elementary school in Dorchester, MA, with a strong home-school partnerships

• Focused the study on families that qualify for free and reduced price lunch, because they are the families that educators often say are “hard to reach.”

Findings: The Joining Process

• Families said that the reason they were so engaged at the O’Hearn was that staff:– Welcomed them into the school and treated them

like family– Honored their “funds of knowledge” and validated

them for any contribution, large or small, they made to O’Hearn community.

– Connected them to their student’s learning

The O’Hearn Study began to identify the elements of effective partnerships between families and

schools (Welcoming, Honoring, Connecting).

What does an Effective Family-School Partnership Look Like?

14

Beyond the Bake Sale

The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships

Anne T. Henderson, Karen L. Mapp, Vivian R. Johnson and Don Davies

The New Press, 200715

Fortress School (Below Basic)

• “Parents don’t care about their children’s education, and they are the main reason the kid’s are failing”

• “Parents don’t come to conferences, no matter what we do”

• Principal picks a small group of “cooperative parents” to help out

• “We’re teachers, not social workers”

• “Curriculum and standards are too advanced for these parents”

16

Come-if-We-Call School (Basic)

• Parents are told what students will be learning at the fall open house

• Workshops are planned by staff

• Families can visit school on report card pickup day

• Parents call the office to get teacher-recorded messages about homework

17

Open-Door School (Proficient)• Parent-teacher

conferences are held at least twice a year

• There is an “Action Team” for family engagement

• School holds parent events three or four times a year

• Parents can raise issues at PTA meetings or see the principal

• Diversity of families is recognized through multicultural nights are held once a year

18

Partnership School (Advanced)• Families are seen as

partners in improving educational outcomes

• All family activities are connected to student learning

• There is a clear, open process for resolving problems

• Parent networks are valued and cultivated

• Families are actively involved in decisions on school improvement

• Staff conduct intentional relationship-building events such as home visits to families 19

Why has it been difficult to cultivate and sustain effective family-school

partnerships that support student achievement and school improvement?

The various stakeholders (families, district/school leaders and staff) have not had the opportunity to develop

the knowledge, skills, and dispositions, in other words, the capacity to engage

in effective partnerships.

Example: Title One, section 1118 requirement for families to be engaged family engagement policy development for schools and districts.

21

22

23

24

Video – Stanton Elementary School

Video Debrief• What evidence do you see in the video of the

five process conditions in the Dual Capacity framework?– Relational– Collaborative– Interactive– Developmental– Linked to Learning

26

27

28

29

Example: Scholastic Literacy Events

• Linked to Learning• Relational• Developmental• Collaborative• Interactive

Requires a shift in mindset

From seeing family engagement as an add-on, extra work, a burden, or fundamentally separate from what we are supposed to do as educational practitioners...

…To seeing family engagement as an essential, fundamental component of proficient and effective teaching and learning practice.

Links

• Summary of the Dual Capacity Framework:– www.scholastic.com/face/framework

• Flamboyan Foundation Parent Video– https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=vbyhao0FtaQ&feature=youtu.be• Partners in Education:

– http://www.sedl.org/pubs/framework/FE-Cap-Building.pdf